Residents of the town of El Carmen blocked the highway, reporting that they had been without electricity for 22 days since Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba at the end of October.

Protesters used the fallen trees and electrical poles from the hurricane to block the road leading from Santiago de Cuba, 14 kilometers away.

Police cars and a military truck arrived in the village, accompanied by the director of the Cuban Electric Union, to persuade the residents to clear the road.

An exhausted mother of four, Yanelis Molina, demanded electricity.

“What we are demanding right now is that they restore our power,” she said visibly exhausted.

“Everyone wants electricity, and we are working tirelessly to achieve this,” said Alfredo López, Director General of the Electric Union, in a heated discussion with residents in the middle of the blocked road.

Cuban authorities reported that more than 700,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas before and during Hurricane Melissa.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that more than 54,000 people in Cuba have been unable to return to their homes, including 7,500 living in official shelters.

AP video by Ariel Fernandez and Milexsy Duran